EPA Announces 12 Great Lakes Restoration Investments in Michigan

(CHICAGO – Sept. 1, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today awarded $4.7 million in grants to Michigan organizations and agencies under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The 12 grants (to 11 organizations and agencies) are among 70 grants totaling nearly $30 million awarded by EPA under the GLRI in 2011.

"These grants are an investment to accelerate Great Lakes restoration, community by community," said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager Susan Hedman. "This is another important step toward lasting protection for waters that affect the health and jobs of millions of Americans."

Previously, at events in Detroit and Traverse City, EPA awarded 11 other grants totaling $7.1 million in Michigan.

Funded projects will advance the goals and objectives of the GLRI Action Plan, which EPA developed with 15 other federal agencies in 2010.

The new funded projects include:

$281,612 – Michigan Technological University (Harmful Algal Bloom Mapping for the Great Lakes).

$199,921 – University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment (Green Marina Education and Outreach Project, Phase II).

The Great Lakes provide 30 million Americans with drinking water and support a multi-billion dollar economy. Since February 2009, President Obama has championed the GLRI, the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades.

The plan also ensures accountability by including measures of progress and benchmarks for success over the next three years.
In addition to the EPA, the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force that coordinates federal and binational restoration efforts includes: